How much of a problem is the language barrier in your daily life as an expat?

[jbeas176]

i believe i have 13,000 words

 

[LuckyLuke]

You reminded me of the Dunning-Kruger effect: the more you know about a subject the more aware you are of how much you don't know.
If you worry about words like sheetrock you're almost likely fluent enough to describe the object; if you hear a new word you'll be able to tell them apart from the set of words you're used to hear and ask what that is. Not a bad position to be in honestly.

One of the more frustrating things I've run into is that every word has it's synonyms and certain countries will use certain synonyms for certain definitions. Take the word "string" for example...in English "string" can be used for many meanings. String of thought, string of pearls, string of computer code, string of rope, etc.

Now, below are the translations available for the various usages of "string". I count a total of 9 possible Spanish words to describe 1 English word. In addition to this difficulty, the uses become even more limited based on regional preference. Soga is often a clothesline. Cuerda is often for larger cords, Hilo is often for floss, cordone (another synonym) is often for laces. It's it in frustrating moments like this where, despite having what seems to be an adequate vocabulary, I struggle to explain a simple piece of string.

 

[Ries]

One of the more frustrating things I've run into is that every word has it's synonyms and certain countries will use certain synonyms for certain definitions. Take the word "string" for example...in English "string" can be used for many meanings. String of thought, string of pearls, string of computer code, string of rope, etc.

Now, below are the translations available for the various usages of "string". I count a total of 9 possible Spanish words to describe 1 English word. In addition to this difficulty, the uses become even more limited based on regional preference. Soga is often a clothesline. Cuerda is often for larger cords, Hilo is often for floss, cordone (another synonym) is often for laces. It's it in frustrating moments like this where, despite having what seems to be an adequate vocabulary, I struggle to explain a simple piece of string.


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I find if you are obviously trying, argentines will be pretty willing to work with bad spanish, unlike, say, the French. And 9o% of the time hilo or soga works fine for actual strings. I buy and use a fair amount of string, and those two words get me in the ballpark.

 

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

One of the more frustrating things I've run into is that every word has it's synonyms and certain countries will use certain synonyms for certain definitions. Take the word "string" for example...in English "string" can be used for many meanings. String of thought, string of pearls, string of computer code, string of rope, etc.

Now, below are the translations available for the various usages of "string". I count a total of 9 possible Spanish words to describe 1 English word. In addition to this difficulty, the uses become even more limited based on regional preference. Soga is often a clothesline. Cuerda is often for larger cords, Hilo is often for floss, cordone (another synonym) is often for laces. It's it in frustrating moments like this where, despite having what seems to be an adequate vocabulary, I struggle to explain a simple piece of string.


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You have to stop thinking in English...

 

[Redpossum]

You reminded me of the Dunning-Kruger effect: the more you know about a subject the more aware you are of how much you don't know.
If you worry about words like sheetrock you're almost likely fluent enough to describe the object; if you hear a new word you'll be able to tell them apart from the set of words you're used to hear and ask what that is. Not a bad position to be in honestly.

I would politely suggest that you go back and re-read the definition of Dunning-Kruger effect.

The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their abilities. It was first described by David Dunning and Justin Kruger in 1999. Some researchers also include the opposite effect for high performers: their tendency to underestimate their skills.

As can be seen from the above, what you are citing is not the main thrust of it, but a corollary which is not universally accepted..

 

[D.B. Cooper]

One of the more frustrating things I've run into is that every word has it's synonyms and certain countries will use certain synonyms for certain definitions. Take the word "string" for example...in English "string" can be used for many meanings. String of thought, string of pearls, string of computer code, string of rope, etc.

Now, below are the translations available for the various usages of "string". I count a total of 9 possible Spanish words to describe 1 English word. In addition to this difficulty, the uses become even more limited based on regional preference. Soga is often a clothesline. Cuerda is often for larger cords, Hilo is often for floss, cordone (another synonym) is often for laces. It's it in frustrating moments like this where, despite having what seems to be an adequate vocabulary, I struggle to explain a simple piece of string.

Then there’s also the String Theory….
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[wineguy999]

You have to stop thinking in English...

I was elated the first time I realized I had dreamed in Spanish.

 

[mageesa]

I was elated the first time I realized I had dreamed in Spanish.

I can only dream of dreaming in Spanish!
I was out with a bunch of people speaking spanish the other night, all good until they started drinking and interrupting each other and one told a rapid-fire joke that was apparently hilaaaaaaarious.
I was ready for bed after that. Totally left in the dust.
Then a lady on the bus the other day was all, 'i don't understand you at all!' and rolling her eyes when I was slightly off pronouncing a word... I looked it up immediately after, and I was like, sooooo close. But no cigar.

I'm sure there's papers written in linguistics about the ability to understand your own language when it's badly mangled; I think that's where my talents lie. I look back at the 'English' I was able to decipher from tourists in NYC; they were getting more of the sounds wrong than right, but I could make sense of it. How does that work? All of the vowels were wrong and half of the consonants, but I still understood it. I think English speakers deal with a lot of diverse regional accents, that's my theory.

My talents do not lie in being able to remember irregular verbs in spanish. Fact.

When I listen to the Dustin video, he doesn't sound like a true porteno, because I can understand him; it's super clear pronunciation as opposed to the guy who installed my ACs this week, Mr. Mumbles.

 

[HenryHoneyBalls]

You reminded me of the Dunning-Kruger effect: the more you know about a subject the more aware you are of how much you don't know.
If you worry about words like sheetrock you're almost likely fluent enough to describe the object; if you hear a new word you'll be able to tell them apart from the set of words you're used to hear and ask what that is. Not a bad position to be in honestly.

Never heard of the Dunning Kruger effect but it rings very true to me, if I could be only a bit more confident in the level I actually have Id most certainly communicate better.

One thing that has been absolutely fantastic for my conversational Spanish is playing golf with Locals. You have no choice but to converse with someone in Spanish for four hours at a time.

 

[Rich One]

I was elated the first time I realized I had dreamed in Spanish.

What a surprise, never thought dreams had language associated..! like when you were falling of the cliff you yelled Socorro...? Other "night Dreams" can't place words...

You Dreamed your landlord was raising your rent...?